Robert Saleh still stunned Jets landed Michael Carter, Elijah Moore & Alijah Vera-Tucker

Joe Douglas entered the 2021 NFL draft on a mission to give Robert Saleh a team loaded with young talent in his first season as Jets head coach. Armed with an abundance of draft capital — including two first-round picks — New York was positioned well to make a serious splash.

Nobody at One Jets Drive could have predicted nearly all of the chips falling in Gang Green’s favor once the draft opened for business, though.

After landing Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick, Douglas swung a deal to trade up and select Alijah Vera-Tucker with the 14th pick. The Jets had Vera-Tucker high on their board ahead of the draft, but they did not think he would be there when they picked at No. 23. Douglas wiped out that possibility by moving up nine spots to land the USC offensive lineman.

Once New York moved up from No. 23, Elijah Moore was thought to be out of play. The Ole Miss product, who Douglas and company viewed as a first-round talent, spectacularly fell to the Jets in the second round at No. 34. Douglas then sweated out the third round in anticipation of Michael Carter being selected before New York’s first fourth-round pick rolled around.

Like Moore and Vera-Tucker before him, Carter somehow tumbled down to the Jets.

All three of the Jets’ prized rookies have flashed their potential in the early days of training camp. Each day he takes the practice field, Saleh still marvels at the fact that New York was able to land not just one, but three of the top offensive targets on its draft board.

“If you would have told me that we would have come away with those three, plus Michael Carter, in the fourth round, I would have asked you what you were smoking,” Saleh said Tuesday.

Saleh’s excitement over Carter, Moore and Vera-Tucker is understandable. Carter and Moore both have the makings of future starters — with both having a chance to make that happen as soon as this upcoming season — and Vera-Tucker is essentially already locked in as the Jets’ starting left guard next to Mekhi Becton.

Douglas has placed an emphasis on building through the draft since he arrived in Florham Park. The draft is an imperfect science, but early returns are New York’s general manager struck gold with Carter, Moore and Vera-Tucker.

The success of Saleh’s tenure as Jets head coach will likely come down to Gang Green’s young foundation. Wilson’s play will go a long way in determining the ultimate outcome of the Saleh era, but Carter, Moore and Vera-Tucker are three building blocks New York is more than happy to have on board.

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